Beginning
by UltimateDoubleThinker
Summary: School gossip fodder leads to the what could be a beginning. Dasey.


**A/N: Been working on this for quite a while. Hope you enjoy. My longest fic to date. Something about the pair makes me want to write long, involved fics.**

Emily was confused. What in the world was going on? The halls were buzzing with the newest gossip material. She kept hearing the word Re-Net. She watched a gaggle of giggling girls pass her. She followed them and grabbed the closest one by the shoulder.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Someone emailed the link to some stories online to the whole school."

"So? What's Re-Net?"

The girls gave her sympathetic looks. "That's the website. Re-Net is reality exchange dot net. It's a website in which you can write stories based on you personal life and people you know."

"What were the stories about?"

"Daseys," the girl said with a nervous laugh.

"What are Daseys?" The girls exchanged looks and avoided meeting her eyes.

""Just go to the website," said the outermost girl as the bell rang and people rushed to class.

Derek and Casey were absent that day and since everyone seemed to be avoiding her, Emily caught up with Sam and Ralph after school. After learning that they knew as much as she did, they all agreed to visit the website as soon as they got home.

Emily called Casey and was told that she was sick with cold along with Derek.

When she got home, after greeting her mother, Emily grabbed something to snack on and went directly to her room. She turned on her computer and ate animal crackers as she waited for it to start up. She wondered what could possibly be on that website that excited the whole school so much.

The page that came up showed a two inch wide, screen length banner. It said _Reality Exchange: Where your fantasies and daydreams come to life._

Emily typed in Daisy into the search box and quickly found out that it was Dasey not Daisy. As in Derek and Casey! With growing mortification, she picked a random story and skimmed through it. After reading the story, she went back to the search. This time she read the summaries. each was worse than the last. That's when she noticed the ratings. With growing apprehension she chose the all ratings category.

And that's how Emily spent her afternoon. She read a little bit of everything, after getting over the shock of the stories she was in. Although most were unbelievable, a surprising amount of the stories was good. She kept going back to the Daseys, which were growing on her alarmingly fast.

The next morning Emily only had to take one look at Sam and Ralph to know they knew.

"I'm warning Casey," she told them.

"I guess we have to tell Derek," Sam said hesitantly.

"Come on guys," Emily said when she saw the looks on their faces. "They're our friends, they should here it from us.

__________

Emily met up with Casey at her locker.

"Feeling better?"

"Mostly. It was all Derek's fault, he purposely gave me a cold." Casey fumed.

"Yeah Spacey, like I really want to spend my sick day with you," Derek said as he was passing them.

"Misery loves company," Casey quipped.

"Not your company," Derek retorted over his shoulder.

It seemed like everyone in the hall had stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange. Even Emily couldn't help scrutinizing their interaction. The moment passed as Derek disappeared around a corner and Casey turned to Emily. The noise level returned to normal as everyone returned to what they were doing. Casey didn't seem to notice.

"Casey--" The bell rang.

Emily didn't get a chance to talk to Casey until lunchtime. Emily grabbed Casey before she could get into the cafeteria. She pulled her into a nearby empty classroom. Shutting the door behind them, she leaned back against it.

Casey eyed her. "What's wrong Em?"

Emily sat at a desk near the door and motioned for Casey to sit beside her. "You're not going to like this."

_______

To say Casey was shocked is an understatement. Emily had tried to reassure her of the fact that anyone who knew Derek and Casey personally would know better than to believe the stories and speculations.

"It is labeled fiction." Emily's words flew right over Casey's head at the time. What she had been told didn't even register to Casey until lunch ended and she was heading to class.

The rest of the day passed in a daze. Casey's head was buzzing trying to organize her thoughts. One thing was clear though. She and Derek had to set everyone straight. He was her step**brother**. It might not technically be incest, but it might as well be. She shuddered. Who wrote these stories?

__________

Derek was lying on his bed, headphones on, idly tapping in time to the music. When Casey walked into his room, he pulled off the headphones and turned to face her.

"So you heard?"

"Yea, Sam 'n Ralph told me."

"We set them straight tomorrow."

"No duh."

"We're siblings. How can people even think of those things?"

"Even if we weren't, like you could ever get me."

"DER-REK! This isn't a joking matter. My--I mean our reputations are at stake."

"Yea, like I want people to think I'm into things like that."

____________

That night after a surprisingly normal dinner, Casey was rolling around in bed, unable to sleep. What could have possibly been written? How would they justified a relationship between Derek and her? And why was it bothering her so much? After a while she gave up on sleep.

__________

Derek blinked. Was it already morning? No, not according to the dark night showing through his window or his clock. He rolled over to go back to sleep. That's when he heard a steady hum. He was tried to place the sound. It sounded a lot like a computer. What could Casey possibly be doing on the computer in the middle of the night?

He recalled what Sam and Ralph told him . He smirked. Curiosity killed the Casey. _I'm up, might as well take a look._

While Casey spent the night reading the stories, Derek skimmed over a few.

_________

Casey walked into the kitchen the next morning and dropped down in front of a prepared bowl of oatmeal.

"Good morning," George said turning from the stove to face her. "Wow, you look--"

"Terrible," finished Edwin who was walking in with Derek. "Neither of you look like you got any sleep."

Derek grunted a response, while Casey didn't bother to respond.

Derek poured himself cereal and ate it dry. Casey took her bowl to the sink, brushing past Derek who was leaning against the counter. He stiffened and she paused before depositing her bowl before leaving the kitchen. Derek left soon after.

"Is it just me or was that the most awkward and tense breakfast ever?" Edwin asked.

"It's just you," Lizzy answered.

_____________

The ride to school was quiet. Casey sat directly in the middle of the seat, staring straight ahead. Even Derek didn't remove his eyes from the road. When they arrived, Casey practically flew out of the car. Derek watched her rush away.

___________

_What is wrong with me? That was just Derek, nothing's changed. Those stories are FICTION. FICTION! Meaning not real. He is still the same Derek and I'm still the same Casey. Now just put what you've read out of mind and start going back to normal._

_______________

Derek took his time going to class. Casey looked seriously shaken by the stories. They were just stories people with no life wrote, it didn't mean anything. Not that he hadn't thought about it a few times. But those were just passing musings. Before they were firmly established as a family.

Derek saw a group of girls giggling obscenely in the middle of the hall. They hushed one another as he approached them.

"Hey ladies, what's new?"

A girl to the side of him said "Are you with Casey?"

"What! No, you ladies are the only ones for me. Be sure to pass that along. We're siblings."

_____________

"So..." She sat in front of his desk lost in thought. "You're very subdued today. Is there something wrong? You know you could tell me anything and it would be confidential."

"It's...Did you know that people actually speculate about me and Derek getting...being involved."

"People understand that rumors are misleading at best. Especially if they actually know you two."

"But how can they even think that about us? It's not right."

"Well...please don't take this the wrong way, but you two embody the rivalry turned friendship ideal that teenagers are used to seeing on T.V., in movies, and even read in books. Or maybe they're just people with too much time on their hands."

"I'm going to make sure no one thinks it's true. Thanks Paul."

_____________

The rest of the school week Derek and Casey made sure to remind people that RPF meant Real People FICTION. Most let it go. Some secretly continued reading and even writing for the website. A few honestly couldn't shake off their suspicions. Especially since Derek and Casey seemed to avoid each other like their life depended on it.

Not that they used to spend a lot of time at school together, but more than a few were watching when Casey dashed around a corner when she spotted Derek at the end of the hall or when Derek took the long way to class so he wouldn't run into Casey. Of course no one asked them about this behavior seeing how adamantly they put down RE-NET.

__________

Casey flipped through the channels and finally settled on a show that seemed interesting. It was a Friday night , Ed and Liz were out with friends and her parents went to the movies with Marti.

She could hear Derek getting ready to leave. One of the senior hockey players were having a party.

Casey sighed. Even Emily was out on a date. She looked up as Derek clamored down the stairs. He grabbed a jacket off the hanger and left with only a "See ya, Case" thrown over his shoulder.

Casey started flipping through the channels again but nothing really grabbed her attention. She decided to rewatch an old favorite movie.

____________

Derek leaned next to the refreshment table, watching the party with mild interest. He checked out a girl that was across the room. She was wearing a miniskirt with an off the shoulder top and inch high heels. She had shoulder length red hair and was talking to a friend near the T.V.

This was the second time Derek had seen her at a party and she never seemed to notice him. Until now that is. She seemed to feel his gaze on her. She looked over at him and gave him an inviting smile.

Derek smirked. "Time to party."

As he approached her, her friend went off to dance.

"Derek, right?"

"Oh, I see my reputation precedes me. What's your name?"

"Paige."

"Haven't seen you around, did you just move here?"

"Yeah, actually my mom makes me go to these parties to 'make friends'," Paige rolled her eyes.

"Want to get away from the noise?"

She smiled and grabbed his arm. "Let's go."

Derek let her lead to the front door. She let go of him when they were on the front porch. She sat down on the steps and looked up at him. He sat down next to her. After a little prodding he got her to start talking.

It wasn't long before he zoned out though. She was a cute girl that seemed interested in him. But his interest seemed to be fading fast.

He gave a noncommittal answer when she turned to him for a response to something she said. What was she talking about again? Something about her old school. He had yet to meet a girl that kept his interest long enough for him to listen to everything she said. Except for Casey. He listened to everything she said. Mostly to use it against her, but he listened. What was she doing now anyway? Probably bored out of her mind at home alone. He smirked, either reading or watching a chickflick.

He turned back to Paige as she waved a hand in front of his face. "I'm sorry I bored you so much. I tend to ramble when I'm nervous." She gave a weak laugh.

"Why are you nervous?"

"I haven't been here long and I already know that you are one of the hottest guys around. And here I am talking you to sleep."

She was really cute and blunt. Casey would like her. He smiled at the thought. Then shook his head in alarm. What the hell was he thinking? It was probably the quiet that was getting to him. He needed to get back to the party.

Derek stood up, offering Paige a hand. "Wanna dance?"

As Paige smiled up at him, all he could think about was another smile he wanted to see.

____________

Casey listened to the popcorn pop as she browsed the DVD shelf. She was in the mood for an old fashioned love story or a fairytale. Maybe a Disney movie. When she was younger, she'd wanted to be a princess. Living in large castle with pretty things and being the most beautiful one in the land. And of course, of meeting her Prince Charming.

___________

Derek shut the door quietly behind him when he realized Casey had fallen asleep on the couch. He walked over to where she laid. He looked down at her, his eyes tracing the smooth planes of her face, her lashes resting against angled cheeks, pink lips slightly open. He stood there a few minutes just watching the soft rise and fall of her her torso as her sleep continued uninterrupted.

He noticed a stray tendril of hair out of place and bent down to tuck it back in place. His hands had barely grazed her face when he realized what he was doing. This was not why he left the party early. He had been too distracted to enjoy the party and thought maybe it was because he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Seeing what he was doing now, there was no doubt what had been distracting him.

___________

Casey opened her eyes as Derek walked up the stairs. She touched the cheek Derek had grazed while tucking back her hair. She had woken to the feeling of being watched and feigned sleep when she realized who it was.

She sat up slowly feeling a little lightheaded. As soon as she heard Derek close his bedroom door, she went to her own room. She laid in bed staring at her ceiling. She put a hand to her chest, willing her racing heart to calm.

__________

The next day while Derek avoided meeting her eyes, Casey studied him peripherally. She noticed how his messy hair looked deliberately styled, saw the soft genuine smiles he seemed to share only with Marti, and the all purpose smirk he gave everyone else.

After thinking it over all day, Casey acted that night first making sure the rest of the family was busy. She walked purposefully into Derek's room and after shutting the door, sat on the edge of his bed. He faced her from where he sat at his desk, though careful not to meet her eyes.

"We need to talk."

"About what."

She gave him a look, which he returned for a second before looking over her shoulder again. The confused whirl she saw gave her the answer she needed.

She walked over to him slowly. She stood in front of him for a second, studying his face. Then she leaned down and placed a featherlight kiss on his lips. She stood straight and suddenly swooped backed down, this time with a more pronounced kiss. Derek responded immediately kissing back fiercely. He stood up, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened and seemed to heat them considerably until they were panting and every inch of skin that touched seemed to scorch. When they registered sound out in the hall, they jumped apart.

Her sitting on the edge of the bed and him back in his chair. They were both still panting slightly and were red faced as whoever it was went downstairs. For a few moments they sat there just looking at each other. Derek looked into Casey's eyes as if searching for the answer to an unasked question. He must have seen an answer he liked because he gave her a small smile. She couldn't contain the return smile that lit up her face.

But the moment couldn't last forever. "What does this mean?"

"This means the start of something new and possibly amazing."

**A/N: Don't forget to review. Questions, comments, criticisms are welcome. My next project is a multi chapter Dasey that I'm rewatching the series for. Keep an eye out for it.**


End file.
